Socks: No question in my mind - wear two pairs- a thin synthetic liner underneath and a light woollen sock on top. I only got blisters once, when my feet were saturated after three days of constant rain. No blisters the rest of the journey. I spent money on Bridgedales, and was very pleased with them. They were very comfortable, and lasted the distance. (Some others had 'thousand mile socks': they don't last 1000 miles, and they needed to replace them en route...)
Walking poles: Controversial topic this ;-) I took one. Some swear by two (especially those who have knee problems), and some think you don't need them. I am glad I took one, especially for the first fortnight out from Le Puy when it was so wet, and the altitude was so variable. It was a lightweight women's one, with a spring in the end. I didn't use it much, but when I did, I really really needed it. I used it when the terrain was especially muddy or slippery, and it helped me to have a third point of balance. I also used it when the ascent or descent was tricky, where I found it relieved pressure on my knees or legs, and made the going a lot easier.
Mobile phone: I am not 'big' on mobiles at any time, but it would have made life easier from Le Puy to SJPP if I had got one with a French SIM card. It really is better to reserve gites in France, and I was reliant on phone cabins. Sometimes these didn't exist in the towns/villages I stayed in. And sometimes, especially in rural areas, there might be a gite a little way off the GR, with a phone number given that I couldn't ring, where they offered to pick you up and take you back to the GR the next morning. And often you reached an answerphone, but I was never able to leave a message to be rung back....
5 years ago
